The Partnership and Local Action Group

Northern Marches Cymru is managed by a Partnership and Local Action Group (LAG).

The Local Partnership will have the strategic overview of the delivery of the Rural Development Plan for Wales 2007 – 2013 ensuring it addresses the needs of the Local Development Strategy for rural Wrexham. The Partnership will have the direct responsibility for managing the delivery of Axis 3 projects while the LAG will have the direct responsibility of managing the Axis 4 projects through the LEADER approach.

The Partnership

The Northern Marches Cymru Partnership was initially established in 2001 on the ‘thirds’ principle (public, private and voluntary)and was democratically selected at open consultation meetings to oversee the LEADER+ European programme. Since then Northern Marches Cymru has successfully attracted new funding programmes, Article 33 2003-2006 and Rural Community Action Development Strategies 2003-2006, and 2006-2009 and widened its work with communities in rural Wrexham.

Under the requirements Rural Development Plan for Wales 2007-2013, the Northern Marches Cymru Partnership has been restructured to ensure that it is based on the ‘quarters’ principle i.e. to include appropriate representation from the public, private, voluntary and community sectors. The Partnership remains an Unincorporated Association working with Wrexham County Borough Council as its Lead Body with the same aims to develop and regenerate the environmental, cultural, economic and social vitality of communities in rural Wrexham. The partnership fulfils the role of the over arching strategic body which oversees the delivery, monitoring and evaluation of the Rural Development Plan for Wales 2007-2013 funding for rural Wrexham.

The Partnership comprises of twenty voting members and a number of technical advisors drawn from various sectors.  This structure ensures that the work of Northern Marches Cymru remains integrated with the range of other programmes, strategies and activities at national, regional and local levels ensuring synergy with other rural initiatives being undertaken outside the Partnership and that delivery of the Rural Programmes achieve the greatest possible benefit to the communities of rural Wrexham.

Partnership members have linkages with a wide range of National, Regional and Local organisations which they can feed into and learn from, while acting as Ambassadors promoting the work of Northern Marches Cymru, the Local Development Strategy to a wide audience.

Public Sector Voting Members Private Sector Voting Members Voluntary Sector Voting Members Community Sector Voting Members
Wrexham County Borough Council (WCBC) Farmers’ Union of Wales - FUW Campaign for the Protection of Rural Wales Holt Community Council
Community Safety Partnership Federation of Small Businesses Clwyd Young Farmers Federation Llangollen Rural Community Council
Countryside Council for Wales North East Wales Institute (NEWI) Denbighshire Historical Society Llansantffraid Glyn Ceiriog Community Council
Local Access Forum Women’s Farming Union Menter Iaith Maelor Maelor South Community Council
North East Wales NHS Trust Wrexham Tourism Forum/Open Churches Network Rossett Environmental Community Action Programme.(RECAP) One Voice Wales
Public Sector Advisors Private Sector Advisors Voluntary Sector Advisors
British Waterways National Trust - Chirk Castle Association of Voluntary Organisations Wrexham (AVOW)
WCBC- Lead Body Tourism Partnership North Wales Groundwork Trust
WCBC –Finance Officer   Wrexham Sustainability Forum
Wrexham Regeneration Forum    

Local Action Group

The Local Action Group is a sub committee of the Partnership and is set up to manage the implementation and delivery of Axis 4 projects within the Rural Development Plan for Wales 2007 – 2013.

The Local Action Group (LAG) was originally formed to deliver the LEADER + programme in 2000 and has subsequently delivered the Rural Community Action Programme from 2003- 2009 and Article 33 of the Rural Development Plan from 2003 - 2006. The Local Action Group is formed of partners from the Public, Private and Voluntary Sectors and is comprised of various organisations below:

  • Association of Voluntary Organisations Wrexham (AVOW)
  • Campaign for the Protection of Rural Wales
  • Clwyd Young Farmers Federation
  • Countryside Council for Wales
  • Denbighshire Historical Society
  • Farmers’ Union of Wales – FUW
  • Local Access Forum
  • One Voice Wales
  • Rossett Environmental Community Action Programme (RECAP)
  • Women’s Food and Farming Union
  • Wrexham Sustainability Forum
  • Wrexham Tourism Forum/Open Churches Network

These organisations are diverse and represent a cross section of civil society with an even split of males and females. Composition of the Local Action Group (LAG) for delivery of Axis 4 (and potentially Axes 1, 2 and 3 through the LEADER approach) of the Rural Development Plan through the Local Development Strategy for rural Wrexham, has been agreed by the Northern Marches Cymru Partnership.

The LEADER approach is to engage grass-roots communities and to encourage the generation of new innovative ways to sustain rural development in the long term. It also supports co-operation projects between Wales and other parts of the United Kingdom and other European Union Member States.

The LAG can be expanded to reflect the needs of the Local Development Strategy for rural Wrexham both in terms of ‘target groups’ and projects which will emerge through subsequent Business Plans and community engagement.

For more information regarding the Partnership please contact Northern Marches Cymru on 01978 298381.

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